Captive No More
by WorldPeace9696
Summary: Amelia's heart is already taken by an officer on the Titanic, but she is to be wedded to another man. To please her parents, she must participate in the arranged marriage. However, her life will become a misery if she doesn't stand up for what she wants. Will she let her heart be with whom she desires before the grand ship sinks into the deep ocean? (Officer Lightoller/OC)
1. Secrets Every Corner

April 10, 1912 (Wednesday)

It was a great day for the departure of the Titanic. The weather was nice, clear and fair. Many people were already in line to board the ship, but there were still hundreds standing in the crowds. Some of them were actual passengers and some were their families who came to say goodbye. Most non-passengers were just there to witness the great ship that everyone was talking about finally taking off, which explained the large crowd forming by the harbor. People were running around busily and the area was extremely noisy from the sounds of people yelling over each other, automobiles honking, and the additional background noises caused by the grand ship coming to life.

"Who on earth are you looking for?" Mrs. Reynolds asked and her daughter snapped her head towards her direction.

"Oh, I'm just observing the ship," Amelia told a lie. In fact, she _was_ looking for someone, but she wouldn't tell her mother who it was. She couldn't tell anyone. She knew that if she did, her family would be extremely disappointed and angry with her. They would probably disown her and she wasn't sure if she was prepared for that. She was aware that if she ever went against her family's wishes, they would be sure to make her life become a misery.

"Well, stop observing it. The way you stare is very unladylike," her mother continued to say with a frown. "And what is with that glum look on your face? Are you still upset about leaving that filthy dog of yours?"

The "filthy dog" that Mrs. Reynolds was talking about was the French Bulldog Amelia had seen wandering around on the streets during her stay in England. The moment she saw the poor ball of fluff limping as he walked, she had decided to bring him home with her. She had found a special place in her heart for him. She named him Deacon and over the past eight months, she had grown to love him. When Amelia had found out that she would be boarding the Titanic, she had thought she would be taking Deacon home with her. She was wrong. Mrs. Reynolds had forced her to leave him in England. Amelia made sure to search around and give him to a caring family so she had nothing to worry about, but she still missed him terribly.

"Deacon was not filthy, mother."

Mrs. Reynolds scoffed. "You found him out on the streets. That dog is equivalent to scum."

Amelia fought the urge to talk back to her mother by keeping her mouth shut.

"So stop thinking about it and move on. Oh, and put on your hat! Imagine what people would think if your skin was touched by sunlight. You are the daughter of the wealthiest man in America. You mustn't forget that."

Amelia understood what her mother was saying. Women who were rich were supposed to stay pale. It defined what people considered beauty. They were supposed to stay behind the shade at all times and this separated them from the women who had tan skin due to working long hours under harsh conditions.

Amelia looked at the large white hat that she despised so much. For once she wanted to experience what it felt like to feel the warm sun on her skin, but she knew that today was not the day for that. Her dark colored hair seemed to absorb the heat faster than usual and she felt her head slowly getting warmer. This didn't make it any easier to be wearing the long thick dress that she had on. It was obviously pretty and this was proven by how many women had been eyeing her dress with jealousy. It made sense since it had been designed by a famous fashion artist in France. Amelia loved trying on new clothes, but sometimes she wished she could wear something simple. She wanted to live like other normal people. She wanted to have fun doing outdoor activities and she wanted to be able to stop caring about what other people thought of her. People in the lower class always thought the rich had everything including happiness, but this wasn't true. Not for Amelia anyway. She wished at certain times in her life that she hadn't been born under such a wealthy household. She had no freedom. She was trained to be someone and that person was not the real her.

The heat was slowly starting to affect her state of mind and she finally decided that maybe it was a good idea to put on the hat. After a moment of hesitation, she did. "I'm sorry, mother," Amelia replied as she adjusted the hat on her head. She wasn't even sure if she meant what she said anymore. Apologizing seemed to be something she did many times every day. She had to be a well mannered girl. She was taught to be that way, to bite her tongue and stay quiet even if she disagreed with something that was said. She wasn't allowed to _say_ whatever she wanted and she certainly wasn't allowed to _do_ whatever she wanted.

"What do you think you are doing, Eleanor? Letting my daughter walk around without properly covering herself from the sun?"

"I apologize, madam," the blonde haired maid named Eleanor whom the Reynolds had hired during their stay in England, spoke in her usual timid voice. Her eyes showed nervousness as if the snarky woman would fire her there and then. Eleanor had no reason to worry though. Amelia would never let that happen. Out of all of the maids the Reynolds had hired over the years, Eleanor was Amelia's favorite and she was still her favorite out of the three they currently had. The other two maids Lucy and Mary were younger than Eleanor so they were closer to Amelia's age, but they seemed to be only focused on work and money. They didn't bother to get to know her or try to be friends with her. On the other hand, the twenty-three year old maid, Eleanor was nice and eager to help Amelia with whatever she needed. If her mother would've allowed it, Amelia knew that she would want to be close friends with her. However, that was impossible.

"Mother, don't blame her," Amelia started to say. "It was my fault-"

"I am sorry. It won't happen again," Eleanor interrupted not allowing Amelia to take the fault on her behalf.

Mrs. Reynolds shook her head in disapproval, but she quickly hid her expression when Phillip, Amelia's future husband approached the Reynolds family.

"What do you think?" he asked with a large grin. "It's a great ship, isn't it?"

"Yes, it is," Mrs. Reynolds nodded with a smile.

Boarding the Titanic and returning to America was something the woman was looking forward to because it meant that her youngest daughter would finally get married and also to one of the richest American men. Phillip Carter was only twenty-two years old, but he was already very successful. He was so successful that he had gone to England to spread his business into more locations. However, Amelia didn't believe in his success since he had not achieved it on his own. He was not smart and he definitely did not have a great business mind. He had only achieved success because his father had passed away a year ago. Due to this, Phillip had been able to inherit tons of money and also a large business. He was lucky to be an only child. He was able to take everything.

Phillip was a good looking young man with facial features that were more boyish than masculine. He attracted women wherever he went and it was no secret that he loved their attention. He _loved_ women. Amelia was aware that he was not the type to settle down with one partner. She knew that he only wanted to marry her to inherit her family's fortunes. A greedy man he was.

Amelia hated every part of Phillip. Whenever she saw his face she wanted to scream in frustration. He appeared kindhearted and pretended like a lovely gentleman on the outside, but he was only acting. He was lying using his warm looking hazel eyes and the rest of his well made face to deceive everyone around him. When Amelia was with him in public, he treated her like she was the only thing he needed in his world. But when they were alone, the monster in him would be released. He treated her like a dog. He was a disgusting man trying to get her into his bed whenever he had the chance. Amelia had never allowed him to take her, but the way he constantly brought up the idea was like he was taunting her with the fact that no matter how hard she tried to get away from him, he would take her innocence sooner or later, especially since they were to be wedded soon. Amelia's heart sank just thinking about her body being violated that way. She was scared. She didn't want to give herself to a man she didn't love, a man who didn't love _her_. She wanted to get out of the promised marriage, but she had no way out. Well, no good way, which meant she couldn't break the arrangement without causing a scene.

About a few months ago, the Reynolds family had gone to England because Mr. Reynolds had business plans there. The whole family had come, even Amelia's older sister Anna. However, her sister's husband, Daniel had stayed in America. Amelia wasn't surprised to see how her sister didn't appear to be missing her husband even the slightest bit. After all, their marriage hadn't happened out of love. It had been arranged by Mr. and Mrs. Reynolds just like they were arranging Amelia and Phillip's marriage. This was how Anna who was now thirty-four years old had married Daniel Kennedy, a man in his sixties. The age difference added to the reasons why they didn't get along with each other. Their marriage was described by Anna as "lifeless" and "boring." Amelia was pretty sure that this was the only appropriate way of saying that they never had sex anymore and that nothing interesting ever happened between them. They had been married for over fifteen years and they had no children yet.

"Come. This way," Mr. Reynolds said and the rest of his family followed after him towards the ship.

Amelia sighed. "God, please save me," she muttered under her breath as she trudged next to her sister.

Anna gave her a dour look as if she were telling her to shut up. Amelia glanced back at her parents and Phillip. They hadn't heard her speaking, but Anna obviously had which was the reason behind her dark facial expression. Anna saw that her father was having a small chat with an officer who was welcoming the passengers in by the entrance for the first class. Meanwhile, Phillip and her mother were laughing about something funny with two other first class passengers. After seeing this, she decided that since their parents were too preoccupied to notice, this was a good time to talk to her sister regarding her future marriage.

"Be grateful. You should be feeling lucky that you're marrying a man closer to your age," Anna said in a quiet tone so no one else could overhear their conversation.

Amelia's nose crinkled in disagreement when she heard her sister's word choice. "A man? Phillip is _not_ a man. He doesn't behave like one."

"What do _you_ know about men?" Anna asked with a roll of her eyes.

Amelia didn't respond to the rhetorical question. She wanted to say that she did know about men. In fact, she was currently in love with a real man who was so unlike Phillip (in a good way), but of course she stayed quiet. She knew it would not be a wise idea to tell her sister a big secret like that. Anna was a good sister, but sometimes she tried so hard to be perfect in front of their parents that Amelia sometimes doubted her sister's loyalty to her. Amelia suspected that if she told Anna a secret, it would immediately be revealed to her mother, especially if it was a secret like the one Amelia currently had.

* * *

About an hour later, Amelia found herself settled inside the large multi-roomed suite inside the Titanic. She had grown up living in a splendid large house and always received the most expensive and best options, but even she felt that it was a waste of money for her, a single person, to be in a suite all on her own. She would've been fine in one of the one-roomed cabins, but of course her father wouldn't allow that. Once again, it was all about the reputation. What would other people think if the Reynolds didn't sleep in the first class suites? Mr. and Mrs. Reynolds would have said that people would think that they were going "bankrupt." Amelia couldn't understand this process of thinking. Her parents were judgmental, yet always concerned about how other people looked at them when _they_ were the ones whom people feared. It was a mystery how Amelia had not become a spoiled brat under the care of her overly prosperous parents. Perhaps she had seen her older sister growing up and decided she didn't want to be like her. She didn't want to pretend like she was superior over others just because she was rich.

Amelia sat down on the corner of her bed and opened her journal that she brought with her everywhere. It was important for her to write in it daily about where she went and what she did. She enjoyed writing and also reading. They were the two things she did the most. Between the pages of her journal, there were a few envelopes stuffed inside. She pulled out the most recent letter that she had gotten from a special someone and read it over again.

 _Dear Miss Reynolds,_

 _It is an honor to be one of the officers on the ship that you will be aboard on. I am happy to hear that you miss me already. I look forward to seeing you soon on the Titanic._

 _Thank you for the birthday wish. Your letter arrived perfectly on time which is good, but I do not think I feel so happy about turning thirty-eight._

 _Yours truly, Charles Lightoller_

 _March 30, 1912_

Amelia chuckled as her eyes skimmed over the part about his birthday. She wanted to assure him when she met him in person that he did not look his age at all. He was still young. Overall, his letter was short and concise, but that was all right. His words were still sweet and she could feel his emotions through his writing. He _was_ genuinely happy and anticipating seeing her again. Amelia smiled widely with joy just thinking about seeing Charles' face. She had only seen him once, yet the image of him inside her head was still clear as the day she first met him. She could never forget that handsome face of his.

Eleanor had been the one to introduce her to him. She was married to a man named Harold Lowe who unfortunately did not come home often because of his job at sea. One day when Amelia had gone out with Eleanor to the market, she had allowed Eleanor to visit her husband by the harbor. Mr. Lowe was a young man in his late twenties. He seemed to be tremendously in love with Eleanor and Amelia wondered if she would ever find someone who would love her like that. She didn't believe she would knowing that her parents were arranging a marriage for her with a man she barely knew.

While Eleanor had introduced Amelia to her husband, she had also introduced her to a man named Charles Lightoller who worked on the same ship as Mr. Lowe although Mr. Lightoller was higher ranked than him. When Amelia glanced into Mr. Lightoller's clear blue eyes, it felt like a jolt of electricity had run through her spine. It was then she knew that she had experienced love at first sight. She had so often heard about it, but hadn't believed it was possible until she felt it happening the second she laid her eyes on the gorgeous and charismatic man. Eleanor had later revealed to Amelia that he was thirty-seven, older than Amelia by eighteen years, but that didn't matter to her. He was a wonderful gentleman. He had an aura that was tough, authoritative, and serious, but from observing him, she knew that he could also be gentle and lighthearted when necessary. She had heard from Eleanor that he was known to be quite the prankster and this made her like him even more. Amelia didn't know what it was, but every little detail she noticed about him attracted her.

Mr. Lightoller and Amelia had decided after only a few minutes of speaking to each other that they wanted to keep in touch, even if it meant through letters. Neither of them knew where it would lead them. They were from completely opposite worlds. Mr. Lightoller was often away across the ocean with a job that did not pay much and Amelia was a daughter of one of the wealthiest men alive. However, they had one thing in common: the two needed company. Exchanging letters solved that issue. Writing to each other had helped them stay busy and gave them something to look forward to as they lived their daily lives. The process of sending and receiving letters wasn't scandalous at first, but it had become exactly that when Amelia had found out after a few weeks of writing letters that she was to be married to Phillip Carter. Mr. Lightoller didn't know about her engagement, but that was because she wasn't sure if she was supposed to tell him. And if she was, she didn't know how to tell him. Her mind became clouded with stress as she began worrying what would happen when he saw her with Phillip on the ship. How would he react? She was hesitant to find out.

A knocking sound startled Amelia for a brief moment. "Miss?" A familiar voice could be heard from outside her door. It was Eleanor.

"One moment," Amelia called as she stuffed the letter back into her journal and hid it under her pillow. She quickly made her way to the door and opened it. "Eleanor, I asked you to call me by my first name. We're close enough for that, don't you think?" she asked with a grin.

"Yes, that's true but I don't think Mrs. Reynolds would like hearing that."

Amelia sighed. "You're right. But if you want, you can call me Amelia when it's just the two of us."

Eleanor nodded and smiled. She was grateful to have someone in the first class actually treating her like a human being. She suddenly reminded herself the reason for her coming to Amelia's Suite when she heard the shifting of high heels from beside her. "Oh! Miss-I mean, Amelia. Rose is here to see you," she said and that was when Amelia noticed the girl standing behind Eleanor. It only took her a second to recognize who the curly red haired girl was.

"Rose!" Amelia exclaimed with excitement. "Oh God, I missed you."

"I missed you too. So much," Rose replied as she stepped closer to hug her long time friend.

Rose was the daughter of Ruth DeWitt Bukater. Mrs. Bukater and Mrs. Reynolds were good friends as they had been in the same elite society when they were younger. Their daughters Rose and Amelia had built fond memories playing together a few times a year during their early childhood and hadn't seen each other since Rose had moved to England when she was thirteen. Finally, they were reunited and it felt strange to both girls seeing each other all grown up. Rose was now seventeen and Amelia was nineteen. The two were both engaged and were to be wedded soon. How time passed so quickly they would never understand.

"Would you like to come see the new paintings in my room?" Rose asked.

"Yes. That sounds nice," Amelia nodded with a smile. Her friend hadn't changed the slightest bit. She was still passionate about the appreciation of art.

The two women stepped back into the first class corridor and walked towards Rose's cabin. Eleanor had wanted to stay in Amelia's suite and help organize her wardrobe, but Amelia had decided against it. She had instead told her to go visit Mr. Lowe on the ship. They hadn't seen each other for weeks and she knew that they needed to spend time together.

"So your maid is married to an officer on this ship?" Rose asked.

"Yes," Amelia nodded.

"Wait a second. Isn't she and her husband both British?"

"Yes, they are."

"Then what will she do when the Titanic's voyage is over? She can't be separated from her husband by living in America," Rose said with concern.

"Of course not. That's why this will be the last week she is working for our family," Amelia explained. "She will be heading back to England with her husband after the journey. You see, she found out about two months ago that she's pregnant so her husband wants her to stop working from now on and stay home to take care of her health in the coming months."

"She's pregnant?" Rose smiled. "I'm happy for her. She seems to have married the right man from what I'm hearing."

Amelia agreed. "It seems so. Speaking of marriage, I heard you're engaged to Caledon Hockley."

Rose tried her best to keep smiling, but Amelia noticed the smallest change from the faltering of her expression. "Yes, I am engaged to him. Cal is actually in my suite right now. I can introduce you to him."

 _Poor Rose_ , Amelia thought to herself when she realized that she wasn't the only one being forced into a marriage.

"I heard from my mother that you are engaged as well...To Phillip Carter, right? Is he also on this ship?"

"He is," Amelia nodded. "I'm sure you'll see him soon."

Rose and Amelia both knew that they weren't telling each other everything. They were holding in their thoughts and feelings. Both girls were feeling helpless and didn't want to get married, but they had no choice. They were both unhappy about it, but neither of them decided to speak out.

Rose gave her friend a small smile before leading her into the open door where the staff for the first class entered and exited almost every ten seconds. Amelia walked in after Rose and noticed the large paintings being placed all over the suite.

"Rose. I see you're back with your friend," a dark haired man smiled brightly with his perfect teeth. Something about the way he spoke immediately revealed that he was an arrogant man. There was no surprise there. It was common to see when it came to rich folks.

"Cal, this is Amelia Reynolds. Amelia, this is Caledon Hockley," Rose introduced the two.

"Perhaps you've heard of me," Rose's fiance said as he stepped forward. "Please, call me Cal."

 _Oh, great. Another cocky bastard._ Amelia disliked the man, but did not show her disgust. Instead she gave him a polite smile. "Will do," she replied sweetly.

After spending time in Rose's suite, Amelia couldn't believe that her friend was supposed to get married to Cal. He was so different from Rose and Amelia noticed this the moment he started complaining about the finger paintings placed around the room. He obviously didn't care about art as much as Rose did and that was already the start to a bad relationship. It was like he was oblivious to what Rose wanted. He was quite the ignorant man no matter how much money he had.

The main thing about Cal that Amelia was bothered by was how controlling he was. He didn't allow Rose to speak for herself and that made Amelia angry. She knew her friend was not the type to sit by and act submissively. The girl was intelligent and could have a fiery temper, which was one of the traits that Amelia had admired. It was what made Rose _Rose._ However, with Cal around it seemed as if Rose was stuck in a small cage. She couldn't do anything. Amelia wondered how much longer Rose would last before she exploded in some sort of way. She wasn't sure how, but knowing Rose, Amelia knew that something bad was ought to happen soon. Watching the two people bicker with one another foreshadowed her suspicions.

* * *

When evening came, Amelia found herself sitting with Rose, Cal, Mrs. Bukater, her parents, sister, and fiance in the fancy dining saloon. It sickened her to watch the same type of boring conversations taking place. They would either be boasting about what they had done over the past few weeks or they would be gossiping about the people they claimed were their friends. As Amelia quietly ate her dinner and listened to the conversations around her, she wondered if Mrs. Bukater and her mother were even truly _friends._ Their niceness seemed to be only an act. Actually, this seemed to be what she noticed with the majority of the first class passengers. They smiled and looked delighted to meet each other, but they probably said horrible things behind their backs.

Amelia preferred seeing the lower class people talking to each other. They were _real_. They didn't pretend at all. They never hid their feelings and spoke out when necessary. They interacted with each other in a different way from the people who had money. It was interesting to see since Amelia had grown up with people who were of higher power and believed they were of importance.

"Oh, Ruth. I can't believe Rose is already seventeen and she's getting married soon!" Mrs. Reynolds said with a wide smile on her face. Once again, Amelia couldn't tell if the smile was real or not.

"The same goes for Amelia," Mrs. Bukater said as she gave a knowing look to her old friend. "I sure hope you will invite me to the wedding."

"Of course we will," Mrs. Reynolds replied as if it was her who was getting married and not her daughter. "But only if _you_ invite us to Rose's wedding."

The whole table laughed except for the two young girls who were being sent off to unwilling marriages. Amelia shifted uncomfortably in her chair as she silently prayed for the dinner to be over as soon as possible. She couldn't stand being next to Phillip for another second. His hands kept sliding onto her lap from under the table and Amelia felt like she was being invaded. She wanted to glare at him and slap his hand away, but she knew that everyone's attention would be turned towards her and she didn't want that. It would be so embarrassing. She was a pure girl and she felt humiliated by Phillip's touch, but she didn't know what to do about it. She was powerless when it came to him. She felt pathetic.

"So Phillip. What is it that you admire the most about Amelia?" Rose asked randomly. Mrs. Bukater was surprised to witness her daughter asking something appropriate for once. The girl was starting to show signs of rebellion and the woman was beginning to worry. If only she knew that her daughter wasn't trying to be appropriate at all. Instead, she was trying to irritate Phillip by getting on his nerves. The question she asked didn't seem to affect him too much to Rose's dismay.

He flashed a big smile. Amelia couldn't help but get annoyed when she noticed how her parents and Mrs. Bukater were looking at him in awe. Yes, he was handsome, but because Amelia knew what he was like behind closed doors, she couldn't see the good in him anymore. How handsome he was made Amelia angry. Why had God given a horrible human being such great looks? It didn't make sense at all. It just wasn't right.

"I have to admit," Phillip began to say as he smoothed his brown hair back. It was something Amelia noted he did often, especially when he was getting ready to tell a lie. "I admire Amelia's elegance. She is a pleasant young woman to be around." He looked at his fiance for a few seconds before putting his hand on top of hers.

Amelia would have flinched at the touch, but having everyone at the table's eyes on her helped her suppress the urge. She froze in her seat feeling uncomfortable and also annoyed. Her parents on the other hand, reacted differently. They beamed with happiness at the right choice of words their future son-in-law chose. However, Amelia knew Phillip was lying. Of course he was. She was sure that the only thing he liked about her was how quiet she was around him. He hated women who were talkative. He was a brainless man and the only way he felt powerful was when women were submissive around him. He would probably have gone crazy if his fiance had been Rose instead of her. Amelia wished she could be more like Rose, but she just couldn't. She was unlike her youthful and spirited friend who was tough enough to attack a man on her own. Amelia was feminine and sensitive. She wasn't good at fending for herself and she shed tears quite easily, which was something she wished she could control. Crying was annoying. It never helped her win during arguments. She hoped that from spending more time with Rose on the ship, she would learn to become a little bolder.

"Oh, Phillip. I am so thankful that you adore our daughter so much," Mrs. Reynolds said with glee.

Amelia watched Rose from the corner of her eye. Her friend looked very displeased by Phillip's answer. It had been completely soulless, but no one else seemed to have noticed it except for the two young women. As Cal began to prepare to begin speaking about himself to turn the attention back onto him, he lost his chance because the most important person on the ship came forward to the table.

"Good evening, ladies and gentleman. I am Captain Edward Smith," a man appearing in his sixties introduced himself. He had a large white beard covering almost half of his face. "And this here is First Officer William Murdoch." He introduced a younger man who appeared to be in his late thirties. He was cleanly shaven and the smile he gave showed how genuine of a person he was. Both men were wearing their black uniforms and they looked very professional. Amelia began to wonder what Mr. Lightoller was doing at that exact moment. Was he doing well? How did _he_ look in uniform? Was he looking out for her? Did he want to see her? He was probably working on shift. She wanted to forget about everyone else at the table and ask the Captain about Mr. Lightoller, but of course she didn't. That would have caused quite the scandal.

Amelia realized that the two men were going around to say their greetings to the passengers. It was nice of them.

"We hope you are enjoying the trip so far," Mr. Murdoch said and his Scottish accent slipped through letting everyone know what location he was from.

"Yes, yes," Mr. Reynolds nodded eagerly. "It is lovely of you to be talking to the passengers. Thank you for all that you do."

"We are happy to have you all with us," Mr. Smith said with a nod. "Enjoy your dinner."

Everyone at the table nodded back with smiles. As the two members of the crew left the table, Cal began to tell the table what he knew about the Titanic. He looked very excited to show off his knowledge and Amelia wished she could roll her eyes at him right there and then. She instead turned away and her eyes landed on her sister who was sitting across from her. She was staring towards her right. Amelia shifted her gaze to see who or what she was looking at. Her eyes landed on the Scottish man, Mr. Murdoch.

* * *

"Oh, yes! Yes!" Anna let herself go and moaned loudly as the man thrusted into her. It had been a while since she had sex. This was the first time she was doing such an intimate act with someone other than her husband. She felt guilty, but she was lonely and she needed this. Daniel would never find out. Being on the Titanic was the perfect time for her to be having a fling. She had lots of time on her own without eyes constantly on her watching her every move.

* * *

"Good night," Amelia said as she gave Rose a tight hug.

"Night," Rose replied with a forced smile. She was glad to have her friend on the ship with her, but it made it even more difficult to make her decision. She had been feeling extremely depressed ever since she got engaged to Cal and she was starting to wonder if it would be better for her to not exist in the world anymore. She was frightened to do what she planned, but she didn't say a word to her friend. Amelia didn't need to know. If she found out, she would stop her.

After eating dinner, Amelia had gone to Rose's room and spent about an hour doing nothing but chatting and catching up. They wanted to stay up longer and talk more, but neither of them could deny how sleepy they were. This was why they had decided to end things for the night.

Amelia tried to keep her eyes open as her sight began to blur due to drowsiness. She walked down the long corridor trying to make her way back to her bedroom in a quick speed. She was ungrateful to be wearing high heels. With how tired she was, being in heels made the simple act of walking so difficult. All she could think about was entering her suite and throwing herself onto her bed. She so desperately wanted to sleep. As she passed by one of the rooms, she began hearing light thumping noises. They were very faint, but they could still be heard through the door. Seconds later, she heard moaning from a woman. They were loud moans.

Amelia's face grew hot and she knew that if she saw herself in the mirror right then, she would've appeared red like a tomato. She had never in her whole life heard such lecherous noises, but she didn't have to be told to know what kind of sounds they were. She started wondering what kind of scandalous people were out of their minds to be making love so loudly when there was a high chance that they could be heard by others. Her eyes drifted to the room number and her eyes grew even wider. Amelia was mortified. The inappropriate noises were coming from her sister's room! Her sister, a married woman, was having sex with an unknown man on the ship. What in the world was she thinking? What was she _doing_? Amelia couldn't believe it. She understood that Anna didn't love her husband, but this was bad. If Anna wasn't married, maybe Amelia would have felt a little more understanding, but she _was_ married. This couldn't be happening.

From a few feet away, a woman's footsteps made distinct noises and they gradually grew louder. Suddenly, Mrs. Reynolds turned the corner of the corridor. It was her who was walking her way. Amelia began panicking. What was she to do?

Before Mrs. Reynolds could notice her standing in the same spot without moving in an inch, Amelia came up with a plan inside her head. She began walking in a fast manner towards the woman who was so oblivious to what was going on inside her eldest daughter's room.

"Mother. What are you doing here?" Amelia asked with a smile on her face.

Mrs. Reynolds was glad to see her daughter with a happy expression on her face. It was a rare sight to see. "I'm here to check on your sister. After doing that, I was going to bring you out of Rose's room if you were still in there. It's getting late, close to midnight."

"Oh, I see," Amelia nodded. "Well, I came out of Rose's room a few minutes ago and then I went into Anna's room. You don't have to check on her. She's okay. She's actually fast asleep. She must have been tired from waking up so early."

One of Mrs. Reynolds' eyebrows raised up. "You were in her room? What for?" she asked because watching her two daughters getting along with each other wasn't something she saw everyday.

"We just talked about...preparing for marriage and things like that, you know?"

"Oh, honey. Are you nervous? Don't be! Phillip is a nice man. He'll take good care of you," Mrs. Reynolds said. "If you need another person to talk to, I'm here for you."

 _You're only here for me when it's something that concerns you,_ Amelia thought bitterly.

Mrs. Reynolds wrapped an arm around her daughter and pulled her in the direction of her room to walk her there. Amelia let out a silent sigh in relief as her mother began to go on and on about how happy she would be as the future Mrs. Carter. The young Reynolds could care less. She only had one thing on her mind.

Anna.

She had no clue as to who the man in her sister's room was, but she was determined to find out. She was going to confront Anna about it the next day.

* * *

 _ **Author's Note:** Hello, readers! I recently watched Titanic after not doing so since I was in elementary school so after watching it, I had the sudden urge to write a story on it. I obviously do not know what the people on the Titanic were like, but I portrayed them combining the movie's portrayal and also by researching a little on my own so please do NOT get offended if you don't agree with the way they are portrayed in my story. Remember, this is only a fanfic and I apologize if there are any historical inaccuracies. I am not a professional writer and I don't have a degree in history…lol, but I tried my best to write it in a way that feels "right" so hopefully that makes things a little better._

 _I really wanted to make my original character and her family members to be written and described in a way that made them appear as if they actually existed so I tried my best to make this fanfic as realistic as I could! I didn't want my character to be exactly like Rose and I also didn't want to make her a Mary Sue so hopefully I was able to accomplish creating a different type of character that you all will like!_

 _Anyway, I hope you enjoy this new fanfic. Thanks for checking it out and if you liked this first chapter, please leave a review asking for more! It'll totally make my day!_

 _Also, if you find any spelling/grammar issues, please let me know! It is important for me to write as professionally as I can! Let me know if you have any suggestions or ideas for the storyline!_

 _-Jane_


	2. Officer Lightoller

April 11, 1912 (Thursday)

The next morning had passed in a quick pace and now it was already noon. Although Amelia had been on the ship for only a day, she began to wonder if she would ever see Mr. Lightoller again. Finding him somewhere on the ship coincidentally was harder than it sounded considering that he spent most of his time on the Bridge or in the Officers Quarters. He probably didn't even have any reason to explore the other areas of the ship. After all, he was an officer and not a passenger.

Amelia knew she could easily follow Eleanor on one of her trips to see her husband, Officer Lowe or even head out onto the deck herself in order to see Mr. Lightoller, but she wanted to be discrete about seeing him. This was hard to do with her mother following her around everywhere she went. The young girl didn't want to be watched. To feel attracted to the man she had only seen once in her whole life felt like a sin, especially with her status of being betrothed to Phillip. She was aware that if the word got out that Amelia had been exchanging letters with a man who was not her fiance, everyone would shun her. Amelia hated it when people cared too much about what others thought about themselves, but for some reason, she was doing the same thing when it came to secretly being in love with Mr. Lightoller. No one in her family had a clue and other people certainly didn't know either. Eleanor was the only one who knew about her and Mr. Lightoller and she planned on keeping it that way. Amelia wasn't ready to face what would happen if the truth got out. Besides, she didn't know what to expect to happen. What was the use of revealing information that would cause unnecessary chaos?

"Amelia," Mrs. Reynolds called in a melodic voice. She sounded too cheerful that Amelia was scared to break the extremely good mood that her mother was in. "It's time for lunch. Let us go." She walked into the suite with her oldest daughter following in from behind her. Anna also seemed to be in a good mood and Amelia knew exactly why.

"Mother. I should have told you last night, but I forgot..." Amelia trailed off.

"What is it, dear?"

"Rose and Mrs. Bukater invited me to join them for lunch today."

Mrs. Reynolds frowned. "But-"

"Mr. Ismay and Mr. Andrews will be there. Wouldn't it be nice to talk to the men who were involved with the building of this ship?" Amelia asked. She watched as her mother processed the idea inside her head. When she wasn't sure how she would react, Amelia quickly added, "And talking to them could add to our family's reputation."

After a long moment, Mrs. Reynolds' face brightened a bit. She answered, "Yes. That would be nice. I suppose I'll let you join them for lunch then."

"Thank you, mother," Amelia said with a small smile. Of course her mother would let her go once she heard that Mr. Ismay and Mr. Andrews were going to be at the lunch table and that it would be good for their family's reputation. Mrs. Reynolds was obsessed with making connections with important people throughout the world, but it really wasn't too much of a surprise. This sort of thing applied to most rich people out there. The more friends you had in the elite society, the higher your reputation seemed to go. It was a well-known idea to folks.

"We will see you in a few hours," her mother said and before she left she reminded her, "You better not go outside in the sun. If you plan to, take your hat."

 _Yes, right. I certainly will...not._ Amelia thought sarcastically. Why would she wear a hat if she were to go outside and relax under the beautiful sun?

With that last comment on her mind said, Mrs. Reynolds began to make her way out of the room with Anna and the maids following behind her. Amelia quickly stepped forward to stop her sister from leaving at the last second.

"Anna, I need to talk to you," Amelia said grabbing her sister's arm and pulling her back in.

Her sister looked slightly annoyed. "Tell me quickly. Mother is expecting me to be right behind her. You saw the lovely mood she was in just now. There's no need to ruin that, do we?"

Amelia sighed and Anna's expression changed into concern, a look that Amelia rarely saw from her sister. She felt good to know that her sister who could be selfish and mean at times could also be caring when necessary.

"Is everything okay?" she asked warily.

"No." Amelia shook her head.

"What's wrong?"

Amelia took in a deep breath before letting it out. "I walked past your suite last night and I heard some things…"

"What do you mean?" Anna asked trying to act as if she had no idea what Amelia was referring to.

"Don't pretend like you don't know what I'm talking about because I know you do," Amelia said in a serious tone. "Look. Last night, I left Rose's room and was making my way down the corridor when I passed by your room. I heard the noises, Anna. I may be naive, but I do know _some_ things. Mother was walking towards my direction, or your room I should say. She was coming by to check on you."

Anna's facial expression slowly changed from worry to complete horror. "My God!" she exclaimed. "How could this be? I tried so hard to keep last night's event a secret."

"You might want to consider that you aren't the only one on this ship the next time you decide to do what you did," Amelia snapped in response. The girl didn't know where the sudden spurt of anger came from. "Do you have any idea how loud you were?"

Truthfully, Amelia wasn't in the right position to be yelling at her sister's wrongdoing. She was guilty herself. She was supposed to get married soon and she was exchanging romantic letters with another man.

"Who was it?" Amelia finally asked after a long pause. She had finally calmed down and was starting to think more rationally. Amelia was glad that her mother hadn't come back into the room to look for her sister. There was an important conversation taking place and she didn't want her to leave before she discussed it through.

"You don't know him, okay?" Anna replied, but the look on her face told her otherwise.

Suddenly everything clicked inside Amelia's head. She knew whom her sister had been with the night before. "You," she exclaimed pointing an accusing finger at her. "You were with Mr. Murdoch last night, weren't you? The officer!"

"W-what?" Anna struggled to react. "No! What in the world are you talking about?" Her voice rose up in an unusually high pitch, which showed that she was lying.

"Don't lie to me."

"I'm not lying."

"Yes, you are. Who else could the man have been? I saw the way you looked at Mr. Murdoch during dinner."

"What? How-how did you?-"

"How could you do this?" Amelia interrupted her with a question. "You are married."

Anna sighed knowing that she had to accept her sister's criticism. "I don't know. I just couldn't help it. He's such a good man." She turned to face Amelia. "You wouldn't understand."

"You're right. I don't understand. You're _married_. You can't do this!"

"It doesn't matter that I'm married. I don't love Daniel and he doesn't love me either. I'm sure he wouldn't care what I do. Also, Mr. Murdoch is married too. He isn't too happy with his spouse either."

"Oh, so that makes it better?" Amelia asked unable to believe what her sister was saying. "You're stealing a married woman's husband. You need to realize that."

"To answer your question, no. I don't think it makes it better to know that he is also married. In fact, it makes it worse." Anna's voice quivered as she spoke. Suddenly, she broke out into tears. "Oh, Amelia. What have I done? I just-He just-I couldn't bring myself away from him. I think-I think I have feelings for him."

Amelia stood still not knowing how to react before stepping forward and pulling her sister into her arms. It was unusual. Anna was taller and she was also older. It would seem like she would be the one to be comforting Amelia and not the other way around.

"Please," Anna begged looking up at her with teary eyes. "Promise me you won't tell anyone. Please, I beg you."

Amelia nodded and assured her that she wouldn't tell a soul. Amelia wasn't always on good terms with her sister, but she didn't want to purposely get her into trouble.

The sound of a woman's footsteps could be heard through the open door and the two sisters immediately pulled away. They hadn't even realized that the door hadn't been closed. Anna's heart nearly sunk for a short moment as she hoped that no one had overheard their conversation. She quickly wiped her tears and headed towards the mirror by the vanity table to make sure she didn't look like she had just cried.

"Amelia!" Rose greeted her friend with a little too much excitement. She was glad to see her friend's face again, but she also had worries on her mind. She planned on doing something tonight and that would lead to the end of her life. She was scared and unsure, but she had been thinking about this for a while. She felt like she had no one to talk to even if she did. She had her friend, Amelia, but Rose didn't know if she had the courage to tell her all of her thoughts. Her life was simply just too boring. She didn't have a reason to live. _Why_ did she have to live? So she could keep up her mother's reputation?

"Well, you certainly look happy," Amelia said as she placed an overly bright smile to her face. She was too concerned with the fact that she couldn't let Rose catch on that something was wrong with Anna so she didn't even realize how Rose was actually unhappy on the inside.

"Yes, you're right. I'm happy, but not about lunch. I'm happy to see you." It was the truth.

"You just saw me the night before!" Amelia exclaimed.

"I know and that was after many long years of being apart from one another so it's perfectly fine for me to have missed you," Rose responded with a laugh. As Amelia smiled back, Rose noticed the older Reynolds sister standing on the other side of the room fixing her appearance. "Oh, hi Anna."

She turned around. "Hello, Rose. How has your morning been?"

"It's been quite all right. Thanks for asking."

"That's good to hear," Anna nodded. "I had better leave now. Our mother is probably waiting for me. I'll see you girls later, okay?"

"Bye," Rose and Amelia replied in unison.

"So ready for lunch?" Rose asked.

"I guess I am," Amelia answered feeling assured that Rose hadn't been able to notice that Anna had been crying. A secret was a secret.

* * *

"Amelia. Truly I cannot stop thinking that you have grown into such a beautiful young woman," Mrs. Bukater gushed as she guided the two young girls out of the elevator.

Amelia thanked her, but did not take the compliment to heart. She was sure that Rose's mother was only saying those words to be nice. In the eyes of a lady like her, her own daughter was the only beautiful woman she knew.

Amelia was surprised to see Margaret Brown joined with them at the table. It seemed to be that Mrs. Bukater did not like that woman at all. She kept telling her and Rose that she was the "new rich." It seemed like she despised people who earned their own success or maybe she despised people who weren't born rich, which did not make sense at all. Amelia didn't agree with the way Rose's mother thought. The rich weren't royalty. Who cared if they were the "old rich" or the "new rich"? She didn't, but apparently _some_ people did.

Lunch took place in the Palm Court, a beautiful sunny spot enclosed by high arched windows. The scenery was absolutely stunning and Amelia couldn't wait to hop outside as soon as she was done eating with the others. The table was made up of seven people: Mr. Ismay, Mr. Andrews, Cal, Mrs. Bukater, Mrs. Brown, Rose, and Amelia. Mr. Ismay sat at one end of the table and the rest of them were divided into three sitting on each side of the table.

"She is the largest moving object ever made by the hand of man in all history and our master shipbuilder, Mr. Andrews here, designed her from the keel plates up," Mr. Ismay revealed as he gestured towards the friendly and charming man.

Amelia could tell that Mr. Andrews didn't like the attention he was getting. He looked uncomfortable. "Well, I may have knocked her together, but the idea was Mr. Ismay's," he said pushing the praise back to the other man. "He envisioned a steamer so grand in scale, and so luxurious in its appointments, that its supremacy would never be challenged. And here she is...Willed into solid reality!" He knocked the table twice with his hand to make his point.

"Why're ships always being called 'she'? Is it because men think half the women around have big sterns and should be weighed in tonnage?" Mrs. Brown asked with her strong southern accent. The way she spoke gave off a fresh vibe after being constantly surrounded by the typical first class passengers for hours throughout the day. Amelia was glad to have a cheerful soul like her with them at the table.

"Just another example of the men setting the rules their way," Mr. Andrews said with a light laugh. A waiter approached the table to take the orders and the conversation stopped momentarily. Rose took this time to light a cigarette.

"You know I don't like that, Rose," Mrs. Bukater stated in a stern tone. Rose didn't care. She didn't even have to think before she decided to blow the smoke towards her mother's face.

Amelia held her breath as she watched cautiously. The table suddenly grew quiet and tense. She was afraid that if she let out a single noise, the invisible bubble of tension would erupt and lead into a fight.

"She knows," Cal said before taking away the cigarette nonchalantly. He stubbed it out and Rose looked very irritated by this.

Amelia had to try her best to keep herself from gaping openly at him. This was ridiculous! Was he her father? What was he doing? Amelia wasn't okay with Rose smoking either, but she knew that it was her own way of showing some rebellion. It was annoying to watch everything that Rose did being taken away from her by her mother and fiance. In some ways, they were worse than _her_ parents. Mr. and Mrs. Reynolds were strict, but they did let her try what she wanted to do as long as it was acceptable by society for a woman to do. This was why she had been able to experiment with playing all types of instruments and had even learned some knowledge about fashion. At least her parents were supportive about her passions. This had allowed her to develop who she was unlike Rose who was just stuck inside a bubble that was about to burst any time soon.

"We'll both have the lamb. Rare, with a little mint sauce," Cal said to the waiter. After the young man left to put in the order, Cal asked Rose, "You like lamb, don't you sweetpea?"

Mrs. Brown was watching the dynamic between the two almost as if she believed that a huge scene would erupt soon. "So, you gonna cut her meat for her too there, Cal?" Mrs. Brown asked with a hint of satire. Amelia's eyes sparkled with admiration. She loved this woman. She was a bit outspoken and blunt, but that made her a _real_ person. She was fantastic and so unlike the 'old rich.' When Cal didn't respond and just gave her an annoyed look, she turned to ask, "Hey, who came up with the name Titanic? You, Bruce?" Mrs. Brown asked to change the subject.

Mr. Ismay finished chewing his food before speaking to keep his table manners. "Yes, actually. I wanted to convey sheer size. And size means stability, luxury, and safety-"

Rose interrupted. "Do you know of Dr. Freud? His ideas about the male preoccupation with size might be of particular interest to you, Mr. Ismay."

Amelia's eyes widened for a second before she lowered her head down to hide her face. She was trying desperately hard not to laugh. She noticed Mr. Andrews coughing as he brought up his napkin to wipe his lips. He must have choked on his breadstick while also suppressing the urge to laugh. It seemed like the only people she liked sitting at this table other than Rose were Mr. Andrews and Mrs. Brown. They had a sense of humor.

"My God. Rose, what's gotten into you-" Mrs. Bukater began to say, but once again Rose had stepped in to interrupt.

"Excuse me," she said before abruptly getting up and stalking away.

Mrs. Bukater looked mortified. "I do apologize."

"She's a pistol, Cal. You sure you can handle her?" Mrs. Brown asked.

The way Cal's shoulder were raised revealed how tense he was, but he feigned unconcern. "Well, I may have to start minding what she reads from now on," he stated.

Amelia frowned. What was it with men and their desire to control _everything_ about a woman? When would this end? Hopefully in a hundred years, things would change and women would be treated with the same respect as the opposite gender.

"Freud? Who is he? A passenger?" Mr. Ismay asked and the table became awkward. Didn't the man read? How had he not heard of him?

"I'm sorry. Please excuse me as well," Amelia said. She received understanding looks from the others at the table. She quickly got up and followed after Rose.

Amelia went outside and was immediately fighting with the wind to walk across the wooden floor. She used her hands to grab the short strands of hair at the front of her face that were blocking her vision.

"Rose, what's wrong?" Amelia asked and as soon as those words came out of her mouth, she nearly bit her tongue. Why had she said that? It was stupid. Of course she knew what was wrong. Rose was unhappy because she was being forced to marry a man she didn't like and she didn't like how her mother made her do everything she didn't want to do. Amelia understood that. After all, her life was very similar. However, somehow Amelia had the brightness in her to continue moving on with her life unlike Rose.

Her curly haired friend sighed. "I can't talk about. No, I mean, I _don't_ want to talk about it."

Amelia rubbed Rose's back soothingly by moving her hand in slow circles. "All right. But if you change your mind, remember that I'm here for you. We can talk about anything you want. I'll be supportive no matter what."

Rose was about to say something when Cal rushed outside to see the two girls. "Rose! I do not tolerate your rude behavior. What was that back in there? You are making me appear as a laughable fool in front of the others. What did I say about being lady-like?"

"Oh. Well, I'm truly sorry about that, _father_ ," Rose spat out with sarcasm before storming off. Cal didn't even acknowledge Amelia's presence. He cursed under his breath before following after her.

Amelia couldn't help but sigh. Why did it seem like everyone around her was so unhappy? They all pretended like they were satisfied with their lives, but in truth, they were drowning in money without any happiness. Sure. Money did bring happiness, but the happiness the money brought did not last long. Amelia leaned forward and smelled the fresh air. It was nice. Everything about this trip was nice except for the fact that landing in America would bring her one step closer to becoming Phillip's wife. She sighed again as she put those thoughts away. She wouldn't let them bother her, for now at least. The weather was beautiful and the view was the most amazing thing she had ever seen. She just wished she had someone to share it with.

"What's a lovely lady like you doing out here alone?" a voice interrupted the quietness.

Amelia turned around holding her hand over her face to shield her eyes from the sunlight. When she looked through the bright rays, she saw Mr. Lightoller smiling at her. He looked the same, dashing but even more so with his uniform on.

"Hmm. Perhaps I was waiting for you," Amelia said with a laugh.

She had to tilt her head upward to take a good look at the man. He was very tall and she knew that under his clothes, he was hiding a muscular body. A blush appeared on her face as she tried to stop herself from thinking inappropriately, but it was okay because it looked like she was just red from the heat of the sun.

Mr. Lightoller had a playful grin on his face as he took her hand into his gloved one and kissed her soft skin. She felt tingles just by his lips touching the back of her hand and she wondered what she would feel if he kissed her on the lips. He pulled back and released her hand before looking at her. His blue eyes didn't look cold, but revealed the generosity that he had as a person. Her heart beat faster than usual and she didn't know what to do to calm herself down.

Amelia felt butterflies in her stomach just by listening to Mr. Lightoller speaking. His voice was charming, deep, and masculine. His English accent made it all even better. Amelia had grown up in Louisiana and had a small hint of a southern accent. When she moved north with her family at the age of eight, she had lost the accent and developed a new one, but the touch of southerness never really left her. She hadn't noticed until she was talking with Mr. Lightoller how the way she spoke greatly contrasted from the way he spoke.

When she had first arrived in England, she had been fascinated by how they used the same language, but somehow it sounded so different. It was lovely. After spending months living in the European country, she had become accustomed to the different accents, but that didn't mean that she would ever be accustomed to the way Mr. Lightoller spoke. He was truly a magnificent human being. Flawless in every way that was possible. His deep voice rumbled in his chest whenever he spoke and his words came out smooth like silk. The ups and downs of his voice at the right moments made Amelia swoon on the inside. He was amazing. _Oh, God_. She was hopelessly in love with him and she knew that she was in trouble.

The sound of heavy footsteps was heard and the voice of the man Amelia hated the most broke the peace in the air. Where in the world had _he_ come from? She certainly hadn't expected to see him out here. Had he been spying on her?

"I see you have already made an acquaintance with one of the officers, Amelia. Hello. I'm Phillip Carter, her fiance," he introduced himself emphasizing his name when he spoke. He wanted to make sure the officer knew who he was. He had noticed how the uniformed man had been smiling at Amelia and he didn't like it one bit. Who was he to be charming _his_ fiance? _His_ girl.

Mr. Lightoller was shocked to hear what the young man had just said. He was _the_ Phillip Carter? The famous millionaire he had heard about who would be on this ship? And had he just revealed that he was Amelia's fiance? Mr. Lightoller didn't exactly know why, but he felt betrayed by the young woman. Had she been engaged the whole time?

He noticed that Amelia also looked surprised and uncertain about what to do or how to react. He suddenly felt anger beginning to boil in his chest. He had been a foolish man. Why would a woman half his age have interest in him? No. She was barely a woman, but a young lady. She had probably just wanted a friendship and meanwhile, he had been expecting something more to happen. He felt like an idiot. This girl was engaged to Phillip Carter. How could he ever step up to challenge a rich man like him? He was nothing compared to Carter. Why would the daughter of the Reynolds want to be with a man who worked at sea? Even if he was an officer, he still wasn't good enough for a woman in the first class. He wasn't _worth_ enough. What had he been thinking?

"I am Charles Lightoller," he introduced himself.

The two men exchanged a firm handshake and Amelia watched with worry. Mr. Lightoller probably hated her and Phillip probably did too. No, he was probably extremely angry with her. She was afraid to face him afterwards.

"It was a pleasure to meet you, but I must go now," Mr. Lightoller said.

Amelia wanted to beg for him not to leave not only because she was scared of Phillip's reaction, but also because she felt the need to have a long conversation with Mr. Lightoller explaining her situation.

"So soon?" Phillip asked like he was disappointed to see him leave so quickly, but the arrogance in his eyes showed different feelings.

Mr. Lightoller kept his mouth shut tightly. He was a lot taller than Phillip by many inches. He was also quite muscular from doing a lot of hard work throughout the years. He knew he could easily take out the annoying rich man with one easy punch, but he fought against the tempting idea. He needed to remain professional. That was necessary for his job as an officer.

"Yes," he answered. "I have important things to do."

Once again, Amelia noticed how the manner in which Mr. Lightoller spoke in made him seem so much more sophisticated compared to other men, especially Phillip. It matched his professionalism for his title as a second officer.

For a moment, Mr. Lightoller's self confidence went down. He was a nobody compared to this Phillip, but then he reminded himself who he was. He was a man of the sea, an officer. Who cared if Phillip was a millionaire? Phillip Carter surely would never have the guts to stand up for what was right and be prepared to protect people when needed. This led to the question: who was the real man of the two? It was Mr. Lightoller of course.

Amelia had immediately noticed the change in the tone of voice that Mr. Lightoller used when he spoke of leaving. His voice grew even deeper than it already was and he sounded distant. She felt like her heart was drooping lower and lower as she regretted not telling Mr. Lightoller the truth. She didn't know what would have happened if she had told the truth, but she knew it would have been better than the results of not telling him anything.

Mr. Lightoller noticed her brown eyes looking guilty and regretful, but he didn't care to wonder what her explanation was. He wasn't sure if he was angry at himself or her. Maybe it was a combination of both.

"We hope to see you around the ship again," Phillip said although he meant the total opposite.

Mr. Lightoller gave a short nod. "Goodbye," he said and walked off, the sounds of his footsteps strong against the hard floor.

 _Oh no._ What had she done? She should have told him earlier in the letters. She should have explained everything to him! She had ruined her chances with the man. Suddenly, she stopped herself from thinking more. Was she even allowed to think these things? She knew the right thing to do was to go with her parents' wishes and marry Phillip, but Amelia didn't want to listen to her parents anymore. She was terrified about what her future held for her in a loveless life with Phillip. She had a sudden rush of emotions running through her body. She wanted to go after Mr. Lightoller, but she knew she couldn't. Not with Phillip standing next to her.

She had been resenting her parents for forcing her to get engaged to Phillip, but she was starting to hate Phillip more than them. If he had been a good man, she wouldn't have disliked the idea of marriage so much. Who knew? She might have even fallen in love with him, but Phillip Carter was no good man. He was close to being the devil if a creature from hell could even be that handsome.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" he demanded to know.

"What do you mean?"

Phillip snatched her wrist and held it tightly. Amelia raised her other hand to pull his hold off of her, but he quickly reacted by stopping her. Now he had both of her hands locked in his strong hold. She felt self conscious wondering if people were staring. She didn't want to look like the vulnerable girl that she was. No one knew how she couldn't stand up to her own fiance. It would be embarrassing if people knew how he treated her.

"Listen to me," Phillip leaned down and spoke in a low voice. She felt chills on her back as he did so. His threats were always frightening to hear no matter how many times she heard them. He told her what he would do in her ear and her eyes widened.

 _No, no, no!_

* * *

Evening approached and it was dark outside except for the little reflections of light gleaming against the ocean coming from the Titanic. Amelia found herself surrounded by the same people as the night before as they sat together to eat dinner. She didn't feel hungry though. She felt sick. She wanted to turn back time. If only she had been able to get away from Phillip... She felt disgusted in herself and she had so much hatred for Phillip that she wanted him thrown off the ship left to die. It sickened her to see her parents smiling at their future son-in-law when they had no clue what he had done to her.

Amelia slightly jumped in her seat when she felt a nudge against her arm. "Amelia." She heard her mother whisper with exasperation.

"Oh, sorry," she apologized. "Yes, mother?"

"I was asking what happened to your face." She continued to speak quietly so no one else could hear them. Their faces were close to each other and Phillip looked over wondering what they were talking about.

"My face?-" She wondered what her mother was talking about when she saw Phillip watching them. Then she remembered. "Oh, it's nothing really. I accidentally scratched myself with my ring," she lied without any trouble. She was starting to get very good at lying, which scared her.

Mrs. Reynolds frowned before saying, "Be careful. You must remember how important it is for women to keep their faces in good shape."

Amelia didn't say anything. She just nodded in response. Unknown to her, her mother was thinking of the other possibility of what had happened to her. She suspected that it had something to do with Phillip. _Is he harming my daughter?_ She asked herself. _No. He wouldn't do that. He's a sweet man._ Mrs. Reynolds quickly got rid of her suspicions. Phillip was the most perfect man to be her son-in-law and she didn't want to believe anything that would ruin her dream. Phillip was a gentleman. He wouldn't hurt Amelia. That would be impossible.

Amelia noticed Rose staring blankly across the room like there was nothing in her mind. She was like that the whole time. Towards the end of dinner, she had gone off to the bathroom and never came back. It was strange of her to do so, but it seemed like Rose had a lot on her mind lately. Amelia dismissed her friend's behavior. Maybe she was just tired and wanted to return to her room in silence.

When everyone at the table left the dining room, they found themselves standing in the grand hall with a crowd of people. They were all attempting to leave at the same time and it was getting quite hectic. Amelia realized that this was the perfect chance to leave without her family or her fiance noticing. She moved through the groups of people and made her way up and out onto the deck. She stopped by the wheelhouse and saw a few young men in uniform standing in their own positions without moving an inch. It reminded her of military personnel standing before a high ranking individual. They were under strict order and she could see that. It made her tentative to reach out and speak to them.

"Excuse me." Her voice pierced the air and she felt nervous when the men looked over at her. After a quick look at her, they turned away except for one, which she assumed was an officer. He only had one stripe around his cuffs so she knew he wasn't as highly ranked.

"Yes, miss. How may I help you?" he asked as he walked closer to her.

"I-I," she stuttered not knowing how to phrase what she was going to say. "Is Officer Lightoller here? May I speak to him?"

"He is off duty at the moment. He's in his cabin, but passengers cannot enter," he explained. He noticed the slight disappointment that formed on her face and he quickly added, "I may be able to bring him out to you." He immediately regretted his words. Why had he said that? He didn't even have a clue as to how she knew the officer. What if she was someone he didn't want to see? He peered closely at the girl who was a few years younger than him. She reminded him of his sister. She seemed like she wanted to see Officer Lightoller and that it was important to her to meet him. He would have to do as he offered her.

"Yes, could you please do that? Thank you uh-Your name is?" she asked.

"James Moody, miss," the officer replied.

She gave him a small smile. "Thank you, Mr. Moody."

"Please, just call me James, miss."

"I will, but only if you call me Amelia and not 'miss'," she replied.

"Certainly," he agreed with a smile. It was refreshing to see a pretty woman from the upper class who wasn't snobby for once. "I'll be right back. Please do keep in mind that he may not come out to see you." Moody knew that whatever had happened during the day had put Officer Lightoller in a bad mood. He didn't know how the officer was going to react when he told him a young woman was waiting for him outside.

* * *

 _Author's Note:_ _Sorry for taking so long to update! I was busy with studying for a bunch of final exams. Anyway, back to this story...I hope you enjoyed another chapter of mine! Mr. Lightoller and Amelia finally met! Yay! I hope you are okay with the way I'm portraying his character. He's supposed to be fun and playful, but also serious when necessary (in my version)._ _It's funny because whenever I read over my writing for this fanfic to edit, I keep reading the characters' lines in such a posh way! LOL. I don't know why it happens, but it's just so silly to me._

 _Thank you for following/favoriting my story! Also thank you to_ IcedFrappuccino, Emolichic1, _and_ LoveFiction2016 _for leaving reviews! It means a lot. Please continue to review :) See you in the next one!_

 _-Jane_


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